A traveller in hotel quarantine near Heathrow Airport has reportedly gone on hunger strike, and is appealing for legal aid as he is “held prisoner” at the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel.
Anthony Pium, from East London, told MailOnline that he signed his Passenger Locator Form – required for every arriving traveller – with the words ‘under duress’, and has deliberately evaded payment for the hotel quarantine stay.
“I did give them my bank account [details], and [they] have tried to take the £1,750 but it has been declined because that account only has £17 on it and that was my plan,” Pium told reporters. “I am so angry about all this.
“The only reason I filled in the form was that I could be allowed back into Britain.”
Mr Pium, who arrived in the country from Brazil last night, said he was hoping to get legal help to curtail his quarantine stay. “I am on hunger strike,” he said. “I won't touch any of the food they give me. They have to let me out of here.”
Mr Pium filmed himself making a dash for fresh air today, by running through the hotel lobby – before being stopped by multiple security guards.
“I hope somebody can get me out,” he told reporters. “I'm going to keep trying to get out of here which is my right. I have not consented to be quarantined in a hotel.”
A spokesperson for Radisson Blu told Telegraph Travel: "Our team is working in partnership with the UK Government-contracted security staff at the property to help keep guests safe and secure."
Scroll down for more of today's travel headlines.
05:52 PM
What did we learn today?
That’s all folks, here are today’s top headlines:
Revealed: the five destinations most likely to make the travel 'green list' this summer
Greek holidays could be possible for vaccinated Britons, as Tui reports a boom in sales for Greece and the Canaries
‘A Covid test didn't come back in time for a holiday – so I faked my results’
easyJet boss says summer could be ‘exceptionally strong’ if travel restrictions are lifted
More than £2 million in public money may end up being spent on empty quarantine hotels
Telegraph Travel followers vote in favour of scrapping the hotel quarantine regime, despite ninety per cent of respondents to a YouGov poll being in favour of the strategy
The underrated British cities you must discover this year
05:48 PM
The UK’s staycation underdogs
Between the hokey-cokey travel corridors, and the doom and gloom warnings against booking holidays this year, it’s safe to say that most are well and truly spooked about international travel. The staycation looks certain to boom this year, as it did in 2020. Longer trips are also finding favour – city breaks, once so beloved, are being left by the wayside.
Quite wrongly, believes city-break fan Emma Cooke. "For now, I’ll be turning to the UK to scratch my city break itch. Once everything reopens, they will hold as much allure as those further afield, filled as they are with stellar restaurants, engaging galleries and picturesque walks – and often it is the overlooked options that provide the biggest rewards," she writes.
Summer could be ‘exceptionally strong’ says easyJet boss
easyJet’s chief executive Johan Lundgren has said this summer could be “exceptionally strong” due to an “enormous amount of pent-up demand.”
Speaking at an Airlines UK presentation the low-cost carrier boss joined others in the industry in urging the Government to include the future of travel in the upcoming plans to ease lockdown, and encouraged Boris Johnson to work with the industry to develop a clear strategy.
Lundgren said overseas holidays are “top of the mind” for UK holidaymakers. “As long as restrictions are in place, pent-up demand increases,” he said. “When it comes back, it comes back in an enormous amount.”
05:21 PM
Journey to Mars nears completion
We might not be able to travel much further than the local corner shop right now, but tonight Nasa’s Perseverance rover, or Percy as it is nicknamed, is set to complete its 300-million-mile journey, which has taken nearly seven months to complete.
The six-wheeled vehicle’s landing is the riskiest step yet of an epic quest to answer whether life ever existed on the red planet and is the third visit to Mars in just over a week.
The Maldives has recorded over 100,000 tourist arrivals so far this year. From February 1 to 10, 29,591 people arrived in the Indian Ocean destination, which during the same period launched the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination.
The majority of holidaymakers are from Russia or India, with others arriving from France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom – despite the current travel ban. Whilst there is no mandatory quarantine for arrivals in the Maldives, all tourists are required to complete declaration form prior to departure and submit a negative Covid-19 PCR test result, taken a maximum of 96 hours prior to departure.
The nation’s Government aims to administer the vaccine to all residents of the Maldives in the coming months, with plans being put in place to inoculate workers in the tourism sector as a priority.
maldives arrivals - Velana International Airport
04:55 PM
Momentum grows for #SaveOurSummer
Over 600 companies have now signed up to the Save Our Summer campaign, which calls on the Prime Minister to outline a roadmap for opening up travel from 1 May.
A recent poll by Telegraph Travel on Twitter found that 61 per cent of our followers agree with the motion and that it’s about time our borders were reopened.
#SaveOurSummer now represents 603 companies and £20billion in sales. 32 million people will have had at least one jab by 1 May, protecting 99% of those most at risk of death. We believe @BorisJohnson can target May for re-opening travel safely/responsibly. https://t.co/S7mfW90PGj
News that the UK’s leading ski operators have all called time on the remainder of this season and are now focussing solely on next winter has spurred many skiers and snowboarders into action. According to sales data from multiple operators, bookings and enquiries are booming for the 2021/22 ski season.
Keen to secure your spot on the slopes next winter? Begin your research with our catalogue of expert guides to the world’s leading ski resorts, from glamour in Courchevel, to parties in St Anton and budget-friendly turns in Jasna.
Explore the world’s top resorts, from piste to pub to pillow, here.
04:26 PM
Find your Great British Getaway
The Government has made it clear that they think it is too early to be thinking about summer holidays abroad, so many people – desperate for some relief after lockdown – are banking on a British break this year. But will there be enough decent accommodation to go around? Where can you escape the crowds? And how can you be sure your money is safe?
Find the answer to all these questions, plus a bucket load of inspiration and ideas for your own staycation in our all-encompassing guide – from the pick of the best hotels to how to plan an adventure in Scotland or save money on a budget-friendly break.
Alastair Gosling, founder and CEO of Extreme, the company set to develop the derelict Sheffield Ski Village site, has said his team is sticking with plans “100 per cent,” despite setbacks caused by the pandemic.
A planning application is set to be submitted in the coming months with Extreme still hoping to reopen the site in 2023 as part of a £22.5 million redevelopment scheme, originally announced in 2017.
In an interview with the local Sheffield Star newspaper, Gosling said: “Don’t think of it as a ski slope, it will be an extreme and adventure sports complex. There are not many sites like it anywhere in the world and there’s a lot of positivity from people in Sheffield.”
In its heyday, Sheffield Ski Village was one of the largest artificial ski resorts in Europe, with four pistes, nursery slopes and a toboggan run, and there have long been calls to return it to its former glory by members of Team GB who credit the site with launching their snow-sports career. Since the village’s main building was destroyed by an accidental fire in 2012 the site has been left to ruin, and a number of arson attacks have further damaged it beyond repair.
Extreme’s proposal includes restoration of old mountain bike tracks, a new snow-sports centre, shops, restaurants, an indoor climbing wall and an indoor skydiving facility.
sheffield ski village - Bethany Clarke
03:58 PM
Summer bookings booming for Greece and Canaries, says Tui
Rhodes is a popular choice - Getty
Tui has revealed its most popular destinations for 2021 summer holiday bookings, after reporting 2.8 million advance sales. Gran Canaria, Rhodes, Tenerife and Antalya have proved most in-demand so far.
Tui, Europe’s largest tour operator, said that Greece and Spain were “strong in demand”, and that the Turkish resort of Dalaman has been very popular for summer bookings, followed by Cyprus, Antalya, Tenerife and Rhodes.
It said that the Greek islands have benefited from the “tailwind of last summer” when low Covid infection rates and low prices helped to make the country Tui’s best-selling destination of 2020.
03:43 PM
Comment: We're already seeing why hotel quarantine is our most bonkers Covid policy yet
No other country in the world has copied Australia's quarantine strategy at this late stage of the pandemic – with good reason, writes Annabel Fenwick-Elliott.
Staggeringly, the Government has gone and done it again. It has implemented a Covid policy that causes the absolute maximum damage for the teeniest, tiniest possible gain. There have been many examples of this (lockdown as a whole, I’d argue) but surely our new hotel quarantine scheme takes the biscuit.
We borrowed this Orwellian strategy – in which arrivals, despite testing negative for Covid-19, must be quarantined for 10 days in a hotel at their own expense – from Australia and New Zealand, two countries which have managed to all-but eradicate the virus within their Fort Knox walls.
It worked for them because they are geographically isolated from the rest of the world, and they implemented it right at the start of the outbreak, before Covid-19 had a chance to become endemic. That’s our first mistake in copying their approach. For us, a global air travel hub, doing it back in March 2020 might well have been too late. To attempt it now, when the virus has been teeming and mutating across the country for the best part of a year, borders on the insane.
Read the piece in full.
03:20 PM
Mapped: the UK's red list of countries
Zoom in to see the nations that are banned from visiting UK shores – and ponder the notable absences from the red list. Both Zimbabwe and French Guiana are exempt from the restrictions, despite being situated in a sea of red – in Southern Africa and Latin America respectively.
Meanwhile, Portugal and the UAE are geographical outliers.
03:06 PM
Touring vs cross country: are skiing's trendiest pursuits worth the effort?
You'll need to put in the legwork - AFP
While ski resorts remain closed, two novices reveal what it's like to go back to basics and explore the mountains under their own steam.
Poll claims 90 per cent of Britons support hotel quarantine
Ninety per cent of Britons are in favour of hotel quarantine, according to a new YouGov poll – with the vast majority of respondents calling for an even stricter regime.
Responding to the survey yesterday, 72 per cent of British adults agreed that the 'managed quarantine' rules should be imposed on all arrivals, not just those from 'red list' countries – while 18 per cent said that they should only apply to travellers from countries with high Covid case-rates.
Just 5 per cent of respondents said they were in favour of scrapping hotel quarantine. The remaining 5 per cent said they 'didn't know'.
YouGov poll - YouGov
The results are at odds with Telegraph Travel's own poll, which we conducted on Twitter today. We asked respondents the same question as YouGov, with the same four responses – and the results were overwhelmingly in favour of ending hotel quarantine entirely.
70.2 per cent of respondents said they thought the scheme should be scrapped, while 8.5 per cent said it should only apply to red-list arrivals. Just 19.2 per cent supported the idea of extending hotel quarantine to all travellers.
02:36 PM
'We fear travel and tourism in the UK could face complete collapse'
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has sent an open letter to Boris Johnson, urging him to save the besieged UK Travel & Tourism sector.
“While we applaud the Government’s incredible progress on the rollout of vaccines to combat the virus, the travel and tourism sector is still massively exposed to the terrible impact of anti-Covid-19 travel restrictions.
That is why we are calling on the UK Government’s leadership to take urgent action to support the sector, without which we fear travel and tourism in the UK could face complete collapse,” said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC.
It is suggesting four recommendations to the Government to consider, to safely restart travel:
An international coordinated approach, lead by the UK to allow people to move safely and restriction-free
Robust testing and contact tracing systems to put the emphasis on individual travellers rather than the country at large
Reinforced health and safety protocols, including mandatory mask wearing, in addition to the vaccination roll out
Continued support for the section with a clear strategy to resume business
02:20 PM
The ‘green’ list
It is the question on everyone’s mind. Will we, or will we not, be able to travel abroad this summer? And if so, where?
At this very moment, the rules are straightforward: you are not allowed to travel overseas for non-essential reasons. Those who do will have to take a test before travelling home, and face either enter a ten-day quarantine at home (with two tests, on days two and eight, costing £210) or a mandatory stay at a Government-approved hotel (costing £1,750) if arriving from a red list country.
But when it comes to our summer holidays, the outlook is somewhat hazier. A lot can change between now and then.
Greg Dickinson has crunched the data to identify the countries looking promising for a summer getaway. Here’s his list of the five destinations most likely to makethe travel 'green list' this summer.
02:00 PM
More than £2 million in public money may end up being spent on empty quarantine hotels
Millions of pounds in taxpayers' money is set to be wasted on paying for empty hotel rooms after SNP ministers drastically overestimated the number needed for Scotland’s “completely unworkable” quarantine system.
Michael Matheson, the transport minister, last week boasted about securing 1,300 rooms after block booking entire hotels in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh, as he prepared for a huge influx of international travellers expected to be caught by Scotland's stricter regime.
However, it has emerged that as of Tuesday, just 14 people are in quarantine north of the border.
Daniel Sanderson and Charles Hymas have the full storyhere.
01:50 PM
Victoria lifts its snap lockdown
Residents in the Australian state of Victoria are free from their homes today after the five-day circuit-breaker lockdown was lifted at midnight.
Level 4 lockdown restrictions were implemented after an outbreak of cases was discovered in a Holiday Inn quarantine hotel. Gatherings are still limited and mask rules will remain in place, but shops and restaurants have reopened and residents can leave their homes for any reason and travel beyond their local area.
It’s set to become the next big debate: whether or not the Government should ask for proof of inoculation against coronavirus.
For former Great Britain swimmer and the latest guest on The Telegraph’s Planet Normal podcast, Sharron Davies MBE, if it means a safe Olympic Games, she can get on board.
Listen to the latest episode of Planet Normal below.
01:30 PM
Airlines call for action
The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is urging Boris Johnson not to leave airlines, airports and those in the international travel industry high and dry in his upcoming plasn to reopen the UK.
“As we check-in for the long-haul journey out of this pandemic it is essential that we put to best use the learnings of science, experience and hindsight that was lacking as Governments worldwide applied inconsistent and poorly aligned measures on international travel. The best minds in the industry and Government must come together to develop and implement a well thought out and workable plan that is needed to restore the UK’s international connectivity,” said Dale Keller, chief executive of BAR UK.
In a paper, titled ‘A Strategic Pathway to Re-opening International Aviation’, published today by BAR UK and IATA calls on the Government to include a vision for lifting border restrictions and restarting air travel in its future plans, due to be outlined next Monday (February 22). It’s data includes some alarming statistics: In 2020 air passenger numbers fell by 76 per cent in the UK, London lost its position as the world’s most connected city and 860,000 jobs in the industry were lost or put on furlough due to the pandemic.
“We recognize that the government has a difficult balancing act between unlocking the economy and safeguarding public health. We are not demanding a date for border restrictions to be lifted. But Prime Minister Johnson must set out a vision for how international travel can and will be restarted as the pandemic ends,” said Rafael Schvartzman, regional vice president of IATA.
01:17 PM
Revealed: The UK’s best views
You don’t need to travel to exotic shores or faraway lands for a dose of show-stopping views. The UK has plenty of its own picture-perfect locations. Research by London North Eastern Railway has found the most picturesque spots in Blighty from Ben Nevis to Bamburgh Castle to Buttermere, voted for by the public.
58 per cent of those surveyed said they hope to visit their favourite UK destinations as soon as restrictions are lifted and two thirds admit they’ve desperately missed the chance to visit beauty spots over the past 12 months.
So, which destinations make the cut in the list of Britain’s most stunning views?
Loch Ness, Scotland
Lake Windermere, Cumbria
The London Eye, London
The Tower of London, London
St Ives Bay, Cornwall
Ingleton, Yorkshire
Snowdonia, Wales
Man o’War beach, Dorset
The White Cliffs of Dover, Dover
Stonehenge, Salisbury
Other spots which made the top 30 include, Cheddar Gorge, Arthur’s Seat, Durdle Door and Richmond Park.
loch ness
Man o’War beach - Alamy
windermere - Paul Harris/National Trust Images
01:01 PM
Watch: Thousands of 'cold-stunned' turtles rescued in Texas during winter deep freeze
Texan residents, many of whom are without heat and power, have been rescuing "cold-stunned" sea turtles after they washed up on the beaches of South Padre Island, off the southern coast of Texas:
Record low temperatures have hit the Lone Star state leaving millions without power and affecting wildlife.
If sea turtles' body temperatures fall too low they become "cold-stunned", a condition that occurs in cold-blooded animals when the temperature around them drops.
"Cold-stunned" sea turtles suddenly exhibit hypothermic reactions and are unable to eat, swim or hold their head above the water.
Volunteers have been arriving at the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau with cars full of turtles.
12:47 PM
Naked hotel guests in South Korea unwittingly bare all
A newlywed South Korean couple say they are undergoing counselling after being told that the windows in the luxurious spa of their five-star resort hotel were of one-way glass – only to discover on the final day of their stay that they had been walking around naked in full view of other guests.
“My wife and I are currently undergoing psychotherapy as we were so shocked after realising that we had taken a shower and used toilets that were visible from the outside”, the husband told Korea Times.
He claimed that his wife had used the sauna on several occasions during their stay and had not bothered to use a towel to cover up because they had been told that the windows of the second-floor sauna were mirrored.
Study at Ischgl ski resort finds lasting coronavirus immunity
A study of residents in the ski resort of Ischgl found that at least eight months after contracting coronavirus the vast majority of people have remained immune.
The findings provide more insight into how long immunity lasts after infection, and also suggest that herd immunity may start to kick in earlier than widely believed, the team behind the study said.
6,000 Covid cases worldwide were linked to an outbreak in Ischgl last year - Getty
Austria's main public health agency AGES believes the Ischgl outbreak, in which thousands of people from across Europe were infected, began in February last year, before the first cases in Austria were detected.
The Medical University of Innsbruck conducted a study in April that found 42 percent of Ischgl's population had antibodies for the virus.
A follow-up study conducted in November and published on Thursday found the vast majority of those who had antibodies in the first study still had them in the second.
UK airlines: Vaccinations won't be mandatory for flight crew
UK airline bosses have confirmed that vaccinations will not be compulsory for flight attendants and pilots, though they will encourage employees to take the Covid jab.
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, told an Airlines UK event: “My personal view is that the individual’s right to govern their own body is essential.
“We will do everything we can to promote [inoculations], and explain the merits of being vaccinated for yourself and for your loved ones and for society as a whole.
“But before we take that extra step and say ‘If you don’t have a jab you don’t have a job,’ I think that’s a step too far.”
The view was shared by executives at Jet2 and Loganair, with Steve Heapy Jet2 CEO, saying: “I agree, and I think that may be subject to a number of legal challenges as well.” He is correct: as lawyer Francis Hoar explains, forcing staff to take the vaccine would be a legal minefield.
But airlines in Asia and the Middle East have been able to adopt a far stricter approach. Last month, staff at Etihad Airlines were told that if they refused the vaccination, they would be forced to take annual leave if they became ill from Covid-19.
Last week, Singapore Airlines became the first carrier to operate a flight staffed entirely by vaccinated pilots and crew.
Read more: Inside the race to get airline crews vaccinated – and holidays back on track
12:05 PM
The UK's greatest road trips
Scotland has some of the world's most impressive driving routes - Getty
Who needs Route 66, or the Great Ocean Road? Britain is packed with scenic corners perfect for a road trip.
'Just look at the data – pubs and restaurants are not the problem, and must reopen by Easter'
Chris Banks, of UKHospitality – Britain’s leading hospitality trade association – explains that the current Covid restrictions are costing billions:
The sector awaits Monday’s roadmap from the Prime Minister hoping that we are given positive news that allows us to press ahead with reopening plans. The early rumours are worrying though, with the suggestion that hospitality will be restricted to opening on a limited basis in early May, with restrictions until July.
That is simply not quick enough for our businesses. We have already lost over 1m jobs in the past year, including those from our ailing supplier partners, and we still have over 1m workers furloughed. One in five businesses do not have enough cash to survive until the end of this month, never mind until May. A delay to May will cost billions in lost sales that will not be recouped.
Greek holidays could be possible for vaccinated Britons, reveals tourism minister
The Greek tourism minister has revealed that his government is in "preliminary discussions" with UK ministers over a potential travel agreement for vaccinated Britons.
Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Haris Theoharis suggested that restriction-free holidays could be on the cards for those who have been vaccinated.
He said he was hoping for a "semi-normal summer" this year, and said that a 'vaccine passport' scheme would facilitate travel between Britain and Greece.
“Discussions are underway to see if it will be feasible,” the minister said, adding that he was “very hopeful that we can reach a solution”.
11:23 AM
'Invasion' of new variants sparks lockdown fears in Italy
One of Italy's most prominent virologists has said his hospital has been "invaded" by new variants of coronavirus and he fears that a new lockdown will be needed, reports Richard Evans.
Massimo Galli, an infectious diseases professor and a doctor at the Sacco hospital in Milan, said everyone wanted to ease Italy's restrictions but the spread of new variants such as the English one made a new full lockdown a more likely outcome.
Venice should have celebrated its annual Carnival this week – but events have been cancelled - Getty
Currently many Italian regions are "yellow zones", in which non-essential shops are open, bars and restaurants can open until 6pm and movement within the region is allowed.
"We all agree that we'd like to reopen but I find a ward in my hospital invaded by new variants and that is the case all over Italy, which makes it easy to predict that we will soon have more serious problems," Prof Galli said on Italian television.
"Warnings are coming from what is happening in other European countries. The new variants are more contagious and therefore have more capacity to spread in situations that are not completely safe."
11:05 AM
IATA: Post-lockdown 'roadmap' must include air travel
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the UK Government to include a vision for lifting border restrictions and restarting air transport in its recovery plans for the UK economy, due to be outlined on 22 February by the Prime Minister.
Prior to the pandemic, the UK aviation industry supported around 960,000 jobs and GBP 57 billion in GDP. A further 465,000 jobs were supported through aviation-related travel and tourism.
'The COVID-19 shutdown of the UK economy has resulted in the biggest one-year decline in GDP since 1709,' reads an IATA statement. 'Air passenger numbers fell by 76% in 2020. Around 860,000 aviation, travel and tourism jobs were lost or sustained only due to government furlough schemes. If current border restrictions remain in place, there is no prospect of a recovery in air transport and these negative impacts will continue, damaging the UK economy for a generation or more.'
Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe, told Telegraph Travel:
We recognize that the government has a difficult balancing act between unlocking the economy and safeguarding public health. We are not demanding a date for border restrictions to be lifted. But Prime Minister Johnson must set out a vision for how international travel can and will be restarted as the pandemic ends.
That vision would include explaining how a phased reduction of restrictions would work, and the levels to which infections or hospitalizations would need to fall to trigger those reductions. With this science-based approach locked in, the industry and the public will have the certainty to plan for take-off.
10:45 AM
'A Covid test didn't come back in time for a holiday – so I faked my results'
One anonymous Briton tells Telegraph Travel how she Photoshopped a test certificate for a winter sun holiday in December:
“Obviously, I don’t want to give people ideas, this is not what the general public should be doing,” says Sophie, over the phone to me. She’s explaining the circumstances that led up to her doctoring a PCR test result late last year, in order to travel to a Caribbean island.
“We were faced with either losing £1,500 a head or taking a risk and going anyway.”
British Airways CEO: 'Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk'
CEOs from leading UK-based airlines have called on the Prime Minister to ensure an aviation recovery roadmap is announced next week. The plan is critical for both airlines and consumers alike, says AirlinesUK, to enable them to plan for the summer and reopen international travel once again.
The CEOs of British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Loganair, Ryanair, Tui and Virgin Atlantic have warned that without a clear indication of intent from the Government that aviation will restart in the coming months, the UK faces a year of limited connectivity to the rest of the world.
This risk-based approach would enable the safe restart of travel, by progressively removing the current layers of restrictions applied to travel destinations, on a tiered basis, in time for the summer. This will allow people to visit their family and friends abroad, re-establish business contacts and go on holiday.
Sean Doyle, CEO of British Airways, said:
The aviation industry stands with the Government in putting public health at the top of its agenda, but the future of the British economy and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people are at risk without a sensible and structured plan to safely restart international travel over the coming months.
Britons have made enormous personal sacrifices and we hope that the Government will soon provide a plan to allow people to be re-united.
10:14 AM
P&O Cruises announces new ship, launching 2022
Some heartening news for cruise fans this morning:
P&O Cruises' second Excel class ship will be named Arvia.
The LNG-powered vessel, which will join the fleet in December 2022, is the sister ship to Iona @pandocruises#cruise
Arvia, meaning “from the seashore” will be the sister ship to Iona and holidays on Arvia will go on sale next month.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Arvia will join Iona as an innovative and future-focused ship offering an outstanding, varied and contemporary holiday. Arvia has been designed to travel to the sun year-round and to maximise views of the ocean and the seashore from everywhere on board, so it seemed a very fitting name and one which will reflect the experience for guests on board.
“The seashore is known for its relaxing properties and tranquillity and a holiday on Arvia will, indeed, celebrate this and have relaxation at its heart. The rejuvenating and restorative qualities of a walk on the beach and invigorating sea air will be reflected in the experiences both on board and on shore as well as the vast space on board which has enabled us to include a number of new and extraordinary features.”
09:57 AM
Operators cancel what’s left of the ski season
HotelPlan UK, which owns a number of the UK’s leading ski tour operators, has cancelled all remaining ski holidays due to depart this winter, as the pressures of tough border restrictions in the UK and limited reopening of resorts in Europe continue.
The company had already cancelled trips up until April 2 but was holding out hope for the possibility of late-season trips. Customers with bookings will be offered a refund or the chance to postpone their holiday until a later date.
“Due to the ongoing impacts of covid-19, this week, we have suspended all Inghams, Flexiski and Ski Total ski trips for the rest of this winter,” said Joe Ponte, CEO of HotelPlan UK.
“With many skiers and snowboarders eager to get back to the slopes this season, while there was still a possibility that ski holidays would go ahead, we continued to monitor the situation closely. As there has been little change to ongoing travel restrictions, and with further ski resorts announcing that they will remain closed, now is the time to suspend ski trips for this season and focus on making next winter one of the best yet.
“We continue to see strong numbers for the 2021/22 winter season and bookings are well ahead of the same period last year. As people think about their holiday plans now, to avoid missing out next winter, across the Hotelplan UK brands we’ll be looking at how we can increase capacity to keep up with demand – and some of next winter’s holidays are on track for a record-breaking year.”
Crystal Ski Holidays, the UK’s leading winter operator, made the same decision earlier this week. The spotlight is now on next season, with bookings already reportedly booming.
09:44 AM
Inside the fight to keep travel and hospitality alive
Danny Pecorelli, Managing Director of the Exclusive Collection, has spoken to Michael Gove about the lack of support for the travel and hospitality industries during the pandemic, writes Lizzie Frainier.
Pecorelli, one of the largest employers in Surrey Heath, addressed local MP Gove on behalf of other hospitality and tourism businesses in the area. He shared with what was discussed.
Firstly, he was adamant to point out that hospitality hasn’t been well-supported, with a huge number of restrictions over the past year – despite low infection rates. “Care homes, hospitals, workplaces, nearly every environment comes out as having worse infection rates,” shares Pecorelli.
They moved on to discuss representation issues in hospitality: “There are four different government departments for the third largest employer in the country. Gove acknowledged that they are now seriously starting to look at it.” Pecorelli infers from this that perhaps, finally, after an entire year the government is finally realising how much the industry is worth, looking at their tax receipts and looking at how much the GDP fell.
The travel industry has been quick to adapt to Covid regulations - Getty
“I think as an industry we’ve been hugely undervalued, and have been seen as quite a low-skilled industry. We haven’t been seen as a sexy industry like high tech. [...] but if you look at diversity, gender, geography, Our industry touches every part of Britain.”
Several key policy decisions, including the VAT rate, business rates and rent deals were also discussed. One of the major sticking points is how hospitality will reopen, whether that will be in tiers, or stopping and starting like at the back end of this year.
Pecorelli is adamant that is not a solution. Hospitality cannot work like that; and up until this point it has felt to him as if the government does not understand the complexity of staffing rotas, food orders and more. Last year, his business spent £300,000 on tech, hand sanitizer, physically changing the layout and more every time new restrictions were introduced, and within days they were already changed again. In December, there was a 10-day period with four major announcements.
“I get the virus is a moving thing that no one can pre empt," he concedes, "but the tiers just didn’t work for hospitality. What we need is clarity. If they are going to put restrictions in – for example outdoor only or no alcohol – that is a restriction, and businesses need to support.”
He concluded on an optimistic note: “I would say I do feel that the government are starting to listen – we do need to continue to push our case – but I left the call feeling slightly upbeat. He understood that the government infrastructure isn’t right, and sees it is contributing far more in Britain on every level than they have given us credit for.”
09:31 AM
'Going on holiday is the difference between living and existing'
“We were promised that this vaccine would be the route back to normal,” says Alice Gully, co-owner of Aardvark Safaris, which, in an ordinary year, sends travellers to more than a dozen African destinations.
“They said that once the vulnerable were protected we could open everything up, but now it feels like they are just penalising us even more. At least last year people could get away – to Europe, and some people even managed trips to Africa – but now there’s nothing.”
The best flexible policies if you want to book a holiday for 2021
If you are tempted to book ahead for a trip abroad, it is vital to secure flexibility. The current circumstances mean it is necessary to look closely at travel companies’ terms and conditions before you book.
Some points to note include:
The cost of the deposit
How close to your holiday the final payment will be due
If you will be charged for making changes to a booking (and, if free changes are permitted, how far up until travel they are allowed)
The company’s policy, and record, on issuing refunds
Its approach to changes in Foreign Office advice that affect your trip
The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador – firmly on the red list - Getty
There are concerns today that Spain and the United States could be added to the UK's 'red list' – meaning that non-British travellers are banned from entering the country, while British citizens must quarantine in a Government-approved hotel.
But which countries are already on the red list? There are 33 in total:
Exclusive: United States and Spain could be added to Covid quarantine 'red list'
The United States and Spain could be added to the "red list" of countries requiring passengers to quarantine in Government-approved hotels.
On Wednesday, the Department for Transport (DfT) and health officials considered the latest scientific data on the risk of new Covid variants from the two countries. Ministers at the Cabinet Covid operations committee will decide whether they should be added to the red list later this week.
The US and Spain have both seen local transmission of new variants and are geographically linked to South America and Portugal, which are subject to UK foreign travel bans. They are two of the biggest travel markets with the UK.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
Teams have made their big splashes in free agency and made their draft picks, it's time for you to do the same. It's fantasy football mock draft time. Some call this time of year best ball season, others know it's an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition for when you have to draft in August. The staff at Yahoo Fantasy did their first mock draft of the 2024 season to help you with the latter. Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens are here to break it all down by each round and crush some staff members in the process.
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Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged back toward 7% this week but remains elevated, prompting housing experts to revise their forecasts for the rest of 2024.
With free agency and the draft behind us, what 32 teams look like today will likely be what they look like Week 1 and beyond for the 2024 season. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski reveal the post-draft fantasy power rankings. The duo break down the rankings in six tiers: Elite offensive ecosystems, teams on the cusp of being complete mixed bag ecosystems, offensive ecosystems with something to prove, offenses that could go either way, and offenses that are best to stay away from in fantasy.
